What if
by Bailey Huber
Summary: What if Admiral Janeway had not been successful?
1. Chapter 1

**December 2378**

Ken Dalby smiled as he soothed the young girl, who had sensed the excitement. "She's really ours now?" He anxiously asked the Doctor who had called him to sickbay just minutes before.

"I'd rather keep her for a few more weeks." The Doctor went on knowingly. "But I'm afraid if I do that Chief Delaney might deprogram me. I hope you're not going to be referring to her as Baby Borg Delaney-Dalby."

"I thought Bi-Bi Dee-Dee would sound cute as a nickname." Jenny Delaney rushed into sickbay and to her husband's side. "But neither of us want her to be forever known as the Baby Borg. How many pads of instructions are we getting?"

"Only two." The Doctor smiled. "So does Miss Delaney-Dalby have an official name?"

"Zuxia." Her father replied proudly. "We thought it fit her Denobulan, but not too Denobulan. You sure we can really take her today?"

"You've stalled every week for the last year." Delaney cut in. "Are you sure we can actually bring her home to her crib tonight?"

"As long as you keep the monitor on, she's still not as strong as I'd like. However, at this point the love of her parents might be the best remedy." The Doctor handed Delaney the pads as well as a basket of supplies. "Keep her on the set diet for now; the formulas are all in there. We'll see about starting solid food after Zuxia's next physical."

"Thank you." Dalby adjusted his daughter as Delaney began to gather her belongings. They were determined to get out of sickbay as quickly as possible--there was no guarantee that the Doctor would not change his mind.

**July 2379**

The First Officer cautiously approached his Captain. Their relationship had turned tense over the last few months. He didn't want to provoke her too much. "There are some things we need to address."

"Mr. Kim take the bridge." Kathryn Janeway motioned for him to join him in her ready room. Chakotay nodded and followed her. She closed the door behind them. "It's about her isn't it?"

"Seven has a name Kathryn." Chakotay tried not to be blunt, but he was entitled to be happy. "I'm the happiest I've been in a long time. I spent 25 years married to Starfleet to only have it betray me and everything I stood for. There is no guarantee because of my principals that I won't die in some Federation penal camp. My cell, they were for the most part young, misguided, and angry. I basically raised Henley, Gerron, and Carlson. If it wasn't for me Dalby and B'Elanna wouldn't be doting over their daughters, neither would've survived long enough to be parents." He let out a frustrated sigh. "There's this beautiful woman who's come on board, who's attracted to me, who doesn't care about my past. She doesn't see me as a father, an officer or a teacher. It's the first time I've been allowed to fall in love."

"For god's sake she's young enough be your daughter." Janeway slammed down her coffee mug. "She has the emotional capacity of an adolescent. You're in the midst of a mid-life crisis and that vulnerable young woman is your coping mechanism."

"You just don't get it Kathryn, you never have. There's no guarantee that we'll ever reach the Alpha Quadrant." He stood up to leave. "This crew has come to accept that and have moved on. Maybe one day you'll join us."

**January 2380**

Crewman Mariah Henley approached Voyager's Chief Operations Officer. "I never thought I would ever see him settle down."

"Seven for that matter either." Harry Kim smiled back at her. He reached for two drinks off the bar. "How'd you manage to weasel away from duty today?"

"Chakotay is the closest thing I have to a father." She put on a genuine smile as she accepted one of the drinks. "He took me in when I was a lost teenager and kept me from killing myself. If it wasn't for him I would've never seen the age of 20."

"It just scares me how happy they really are together." He sipped his beer. "Makes me wonder if we'll gain anything from staying out here?"

"Tell me about it." She looked out at the happy couple. "I'm the only one of us who has no problem with the prison term back there. Kessick is destroyed, I have no family, and prison will at least be a place to stay and a roof over my head. Pathetic isn't it?"

"No it isn't. I have the same worries most days. It's great I'm no longer the eager ensign, but I've spent almost a decade out here on one ship. Do you think Starfleet would ever give me another space posting? Because I doubt they will." The newly promoted Lieutenant smiled. "Rather than having us wallow in our misery, would you care to join me in a dance?"

"I'd be delighted to." She let him lead her out onto the dance floor. Henley smiled. She had spent nine years moping; maybe it was time to start living again.

**September 2380**

The normally stoic officer stood there and cradled his newborn son. "He's beautiful, Seven." He spoke to his wife. "He'll keep us on our toes."

"You have no problem with Benedick then?" Her voice was weak; labor had taken its toll. "I know it wasn't your favorite."

"It's grown on me." He smiled. "I'm going to go put her down, you get some more rest." He kissed his wife on the forehead.

"You sure you can handle the diapers?" She managed a weak smile. "It's not exactly flying a ship."

"I'll manage. Your main priority is getting healthy again." He put his son down in his bassinet and moved back to his wife's side. "Remember I said I want both of you healthy, and I intend that to be the case."

"I know nothing about mothering." Seven sighed. "At least not handling a newborn, I'm afraid I'll break him."

"You won't." He worked on the knot in his wife's shoulders. "You're going to be a wonderful mother. He will be just as stubborn and resilient as his mother.'

"You say that like it's a bad thing." The former Borg raised an eyebrow at her husband

**January 2381**

"So I was thinking." Kim wandered over to his couch. "You're stuck sharing those minuscule quarters with Amy. It just seems totally unfair."

"So, you're going to figure out a way to re-design the quarters of us lowly crewmen so we can have a little privacy?" Henley plopped down on the couch and curled up next to him. "The prison cell example might work."

"I was thinking Amy could have that closet to herself." He kissed her on the forehead. "These quarters have more than enough room for two."

"Are you asking me something?" She coyly looked up at him. "Or are you just rambling a random idea off of me before you approach Captain?"

"I love you Mariah." Kim whispered into her neck. "I want someone to spend the rest of my life on this ship with. Move in here with me, marry me." Kim kissed her. He reached for the ring he had hidden in the cushions. "Let's face it what we both want."

"What about those charges?" She looked worried. Henley knew there was a lengthy warrant for her arrest, if they made it home she could be spending years in prison. "I don't want to ruin your life with my past."

"We'll worry about that if we ever reach Federation space again." Kim rubbed her back. "You were barely 18, and most of the former Maquis have been vindicated. For now it's just about us."

**April 2381**

The bride beamed as she pranced down the aisle with her groom. "So." Kim kissed his wife passionately when they reached the small alcove away from their guests. "We actually did it."

"We actually did it." Henley could not let the smile off her face. "So after we deal with this hoopla, what's the next step?"

"The two of us not our leaving quarters and a disabled comm panel for four days." Kim winked at his wife. "Think you could go for that."

"I think so. Do you think Tom might pull pictures out of the unattainable sorority?" She smiled. "It would make a decent toast."

"He didn't seem afraid of the hormones." He held her close. "I warned him I wanted an appropriate toast, but then again one of Jenny's stares might scare him off."

"Appropriate to Tom isn't necessarily appropriate to the rest of us." The blushing bride giggled as she reached up to kiss her husband. "Can we skip the reception part?"

"As tempting it sounds, our public awaits us." Kim steered his wife towards the mess hall. They walked in hand in hand.

**October 2381**

Seven bounced her son on her hip as they sat in the mess hall. "You sure you don't mind Mariah? I can pull off if you do."

"We'll be fine." Henley assured her. "I can manage Ben for a few hours when you're in Astrometrics. I need the distraction."

"We'll find them." Seven handed over her son and comforted the shaken women sitting next to her. "We will get them back in one piece."

"I hope so." Henley sighed. "The last thing I could ever imagine is being a bride and a widow in the same six month period."

"Anything?" The First Officer quietly entered his wife's lab. "Even a breadcrumb?"

"There's some trace." Seven nodded. "Mariah has Ben; she wanted the distraction of our colicky, crying, squirming terror of a son."

"She needs it." Chakotay sighed. "A large part of her is the weak vulnerable teenager I rescued from herself. I really don't know how she'll be if she loses Harry."

"We won't lose them." She put on an assertive tone. "I'm not going to let that happen. Just the thought of the Paris children being raised by their father is motivating me. Could you picture Miral and Jon running rampant through this ship?"

"I'd rather not." He chuckled. "Only B'Elanna would insist on an away mission weeks after giving birth. Even you weren't that anxious."

"Supposedly after the second baby, a mother isn't as paranoid about her child." Seven looked to get a reading from her husband "But then again, we'll only know after we have the second baby."

"You're certain about Ben not growing up an only child." The First Officer received a raised eyebrow from his wife. "We're too late to be having the discussion aren't we?"

"I still have to go see the Doctor, but I suspect it probably the conversation would be irrelevant." She supported her mid-section. "And I won't be out three weeks after giving birth; I want to enjoy my children when they're still little."

He reached for his wife and took her in his arms. "We're ready for it." They were distracted by the beeping of the monitor behind them. She smiled up at her husband. "We'll just wait a few years for the third child."

"Who says I ever wanted a third?" She looked at him adoringly. "Let's see how we do with two in diapers first." They were distracted by the rapid beeping of the console behind them. "It looks like we found them. Let's just hope we beam them back in one piece."

**April 2382**

"Harry, take the bridge." The first officer sprinted down to sick-bay, only to have the Captain look at him with guilt as he ran in. His wife lay there on the bio-bed, barely alive. "How are they doctor?"

"I'm in the process of running scans now. Your daughter seems to be ok, Seven might be another story." The doctor sighed. "I just don't know yet."

"Ok." Chakotay let out a sigh. "I should've never given in to her request to go on the away mission."

"I wouldn't have assigned her if I thought there was any risk of danger." Janeway spoke up from her corner. "It was not supposed to be a hostile one Chakotay. Just let the Doctor do what he has to do."

"You know we were discussing baby names this morning." He sighed. "We wanted something that reflected all her heritages. We had a massive argument over it. I don't want that to be our last discussion."

"It won't be, she'll make it through." Janeway sighed. "You're relieved of duty as long as you need to be. You have more important things to worry about."

"Thank you Kathryn." The first officer didn't notice the glimmer in the Captain's eyes as he rushed back to his wife's side. "I'm not going let you lose this battle Seven."

The First officer ran to his wife's side. "How much longer do you give her?" She was barely breathing once again. "Tell me she'll at least be able to hear our daughter's first cries."

"The few nano-probes she has left started attacking." The doctor sighed. "I'll be running some tests, and then I'll let you know."

"Ok." He stood there in shock. "She'll come through it right?"

"I hope so sir." The EMH shooed the impatient husband away from his patient. "But you have to let me examine her. Crewman Henley has Ben, I suggest for her sanity and yours you go redeem your son."

**June 2382**

Henley protectively held the toddler as the young boy's father paced. "Pacing is not going to help the situation."

"Since when did you become ship's counselor Mariah?" The First Officer stressfully snapped back. In the years she had known him he had never once lost his temper. "What am I supposed to do, sit here and wait for my wife and daughter to die?"

"Harry is working on the chamber. The doctor has been pouring over research for the last five weeks." For once she seemed to be the parent in their relationship. "Take a deep breath, let them do their work. Let's go get some dinner and then you can go check on them after you get Ben settled."

"Ok, but I'm going to keep the comm. badge open so if anything happens they can get me immediately" He was so stressed that the persuasion was easy. "Let me take my son and get him ready for dinner. I guess some food in my system might be a good thing."

"Try a necessity." Henley smiled as she handed over the young boy. After she watched her mentor move into the other room she turned around and tapped her comm. badge, she called out to her husband. "Henley to Kim. Do you have any good news?"

"Not yet." Kim's voice came over. "Make sure he eats something, then we'll discuss options. I beamed a crib for Ben down to our quarters, we might have him the next couple of days."

"I figured that would be a possibility. Is she showing any change?" Henley allowed herself to get emotional. "If it wasn't for the baby I'd say stasis was our best option."

"Even then there would be no guarantee." Kim sighed. "I'm going to quit here in a few hours, I won't be any help without sleep."

"I'll see you then. Don't over stress it." Henley tapped off the badge as her mentor came out with his son. "If you want I can take Ben tonight."

"Thanks, but we've been ok so far." He put on a weak smile. "It helps that I'm not sitting in sickbay every night."

**August 2382**

They had gathered to say goodbye to one of their own. The funerals were never easy, but had become a yearly occurrence. This one was going to be the toughest yet--she wasn't supposed to die. There had been hope which only led to her daughter being born healthy as her mother's health faltered.

Henley stood off to the side with the newborn nestled on her chest. "Shh." She soothed the baby as she choked back her own tears. "We'll put you back in your crib in a little bit Kori. Right now you belong here."

Kim quietly approached his wife and their goddaughter. "Are you doing okay Sweetie?" He placed an arm around her shoulder. "We could've brought down a crib; you don't have to hold her the whole time."

"Trust me she needs to be held." Henley let her husband wipe away her tears. "She just lost her mother and has no clue about it. How's Ben doing?"

"Icheb is keeping him occupied with a plateful of cookies." Kim sighed. "If only their father could be distracted that easy."

"He's a survivor." Dalby limped towards them. "He's been thriving on hope for months. I don't think he's even comprehended that she's really gone. If you guys can handle the baby, we'll take Ben tonight."

"I think it's best if we let him have the kids tonight." Henley put on a smile. "I'll pull couch duty like I've been doing. We all know he needs the routine of normalcy at this point."


	2. Chapter 2

_**March 2384**_

_She looked at the readings one more time. They had avoided them for the better part of the last five years, it couldn't be happening again. The Chief Petty Officer smoothed out a wrinkle in her uniform and reached to notify the ship's command team._

_"As you can see, there appears to be a trace approximately 20 light years away." Delaney paused. "I have my staff running more extensive scans to see if we are approaching Borg space again."_

_"How sure are we it is a Borg signature Chief?" Janeway looked at her with astonishment. "A signature can just imply that a Cube has been there recently, but hopped to transwarp and is elsewhere."_

_"I'm hoping it's just that, but we don't know just yet." The Chief sipped her tea. "I would rather not risk it."_

_"Keep us up to date on the scans." Chakotay questioned her. "How much does this have to do with Zuxia?"_

_"All of it." Delaney replied without question. "We just don't know if there's a way for them to activate any type of beacon that she or Icheb might still possess. Kori and Ben for that matter either. We just don't know how the Borg would react to two former juvenile drones and the offspring of their former golden child."_

_"If it is the Borg?" Paris raised the question that no one wanted to answer. "Do we brave it or do we go around them?"_

_"As far around them as possible." The First Officer had made up his mind. "It's not worth the risk, our last encounters caused enough chaos to make us their primary target."_

_**January 2385**_

_Henley shook her head as they beamed the Chief Engineer into sickbay. The post as Nurse had suited her well. It gave her a meaning on the ship one beyond scrubbing plasma manifolds. "You know."_

_"Don't start with me Mariah." Torres shot back. "Someone had to fix the gelpacks, that's exactly what I did."_

_"You have a staff B'E." She reached for the tricorder and began to do her scans. "It might be an idea to delegate authority every so often. They're not newbies down there anymore."_

_"It's still my engine room." Torres became belligerent, the Klingon in her was taking over. "Are you going to activate the doctor or not?"_

_"Does Tom know?" The scan had come back positive for pregnancy. "This is your usual denial and your human half is not your Klingon half. I can call the Doctor back and have him lecture you or you can tell me the truth."_

_"We've known for about a month." Torres gave a simple answer. "But decided keep it quiet until we were ready to announce it publicly."_

_"You shouldn't be doing what you're doing then." Henley shook her head. "Do me a favor and use your staff when you think it might be risky. Be realistic."_

_"Ok." Torres smiled. "Why are you so much more practical when it comes to Doctor's orders?"_

_"Because I'm an organic and you won't follow impractical orders." Henley shook her head again. "Maybe I should be injecting myself with your hormones."_

_"Please, that's the last thing this ship needs, a paranoid Kim child running around." Torres let Henley run the bone knitter. "I'm just trying to envision your offspring."_

_"Probably would cause less of a ruckus than your children." Henley rolled her eyes. "But then again, the combination of the Paris and Hansen children could probably make a Kazon sect seem civilized and well behaved._

_**December 2387**_

_"This tops it all Tom." The first officer watched his children playing in front of him. "Only you would've thought of this."_

_"It's been a tough year." Paris bounced his younger son on his hip. "We needed some sort of recreation that was more kid friendly. No kid should have to grow up the way ours have." _

_"Tell me about it." Chakotay sighed. "It's actually getting tougher as they get older. I just never expected this."_

_"You have two perfect children." Paris smiled. "I'll swap you Jon for Ben-you would last all of a day with a Paris running around your quarters."_

_"I'll pass on that. I know neither of us ever felt we'd be standing here watching children run around the cargo bay." The Commander smiled. "I thought I was done with children after Mariah and Div became adults. The two of them alone would make your children a breeze."_

_"Are you implying something?" Henley came up between the two of them. "You didn't have to save my ass and make it grow-up."_

_"I think your husband appreciates that you're a grown-up." Paris smiled. "Though knowing Harry, if you hadn't grown-up he would've fallen for you sooner."_

_"Always the comedian, aren't we Commander?" Henley decided to fight back and emphasize Paris's rank. "You should put those talents to use. Maybe give the Doctor a better bedside manner."_

_"He can't be that bad?" Paris raised an eyebrow. "I survived 8 years in that sickbay. He's just an acquired taste."_

_"Acquired taste?" The first officer looked at him. "There is no bedside manner routine in his program."_

_"You were in there two shifts a week. I'm there every day." Henley smiled. "Ben's smile could probably light this whole ship."_

_"Tell me about it." The proud father beamed. "He's so happy it isn't even funny. I'm just concerned about Kori, she seems so indifferent to everything lately."_

_"She'll grow out of it." Paris sighed. "Five is a tough age. We had the same problem with Miral. Ken and Jenny had it with Zux. I could argue that it's the nanoprobes, but my sisters who are about as abnormal as you can get were difficult at five."_

_**July 2388**_

_The Captain looked up to see the young girl staring at her from across the ready room. "How'd you get up here Miss Hansen?"_

_"Through the Jefferies Tube, Captain." She gave a matter of fact answer. "How else would I get up here?"_

_"You could have taken the turbo lift." Janeway looked at her. "Now why are you here in my office?"_

_"I want to know when Daddy is coming back." Hansen crossed her arms. "Because I need to tell him that Ben is bothering me big time!"_

_"They'll be back tomorrow." The Captain had little patience left for the children on board. "How about you go back down to the School room and get back to your lesson? And this time you can take the Turbo Lift. I'm sure Miss Carlson is probably looking for you." _

_"I doubt she is, Zu and Miral were fighting and she was trying to break them up when I left." The six year old smiled. "But do you trust me going back down on my own?"_

_"No." Janeway glared at her. "I'll have someone deliver you back to Miss Carlson." She escorted Hansen off the bridge and handed her over to Kim. "Can you make sure she gets back to school Harry?"_

_"Not a problem Captain." Kim led his goddaughter into the turbo lift. After the doors closed he burst out laughing. "How and Why?"_

_"The Jefferies Tube and because Ben is being a pain." She smiled. "Can you yell at him Uncle Harry?"_

_"What did he actually do?" Kim could not help laughing, she was so much her mother it wasn't even funny. Right down to the direct matter that she conducted herself with. "Did he call you a name, did he pull your hair, or is he just being Ben?"_

_"He's just being Ben, but he's more annoying than usual. I promise I won't annoy the Captain again." She meant it, but she was definitely nothing more than a scared six year old. "It's just that it's no fair when he goes on away missions. I don't like it, I'm scared he might not come back."_

_"He'll come back Kiddo." Kim understood her worry, she was like this anytime her father was away, she was petrified of losing him too. "He was just going on a survey. Daddy's not in any danger. He wouldn't go if he thought it would not be a safe situation."_

_**May 2390**_

_Zuxia found herself sitting across from Icheb in the dining hall, she hadn't planned it but still her timing was flawless. She anxiously clutched the pad she had been reading the last few days. "Was anybody ever planning to tell me?"_

_"You knew you were rescued as an abandoned infant that was all you needed to know." He leaned back against his chair. "It was to protect you. Do you have any clue how hard your parents fought to bring you home?"_

_"What do you mean fought?" She looked at him still trying to figure out how it all had escaped her. "I know I spent time in sick-bay recover from malnutrition and a host of other problems."_

_"The doctor wasn't ready to release you even when he did." Icheb sighed. "He had no clue what would happen with your Borg implants, you had the least of the five of us"_

_"They never wanted me to know did they?" The teenager was near tears. "Isn't this something I should have known about from the beginning?"_

_"Zu, it's tough to explain the Borg." Icheb reached for his tea. "There's a reason we avoid even any hint of them. They're ruthless monsters. You weren't even born when you were assimilated. They sliced you out of your biological mother's womb when you were at most halfway through gestation. You finished incubating in a maturation chamber. That's why."_

_"But you guys were freed from the collective a year before I was born, that can't be possible." She stared him down looking for answers. "You were missing the one drone that was destroyed. Those were the five juvenile drones."_

_"The Doctor did your surgery than put you in incubation and stasis to you were the size a Denobulan baby was supposed to be." Icheb sighed. "You were in that incubator for over a year. The Chiefs were in Sickbay every free moment they had. They were petrified they would never bring you home."  
_

_**October 2393**_

_"He's being totally unreasonable." Kori Hansen sat in her godparents' quarters crying. "It's not even funny anymore! Aunt Riah can I please come stay here?"_

_"You're going back to your own quarters." Henley wiped the tears from the young girls face. "Kori, he loves you. You're his pride and joy, it's probably petrifying him that you look so much like Seven." _

_"You can escape here, but Kor, we're not taking you from him." Kim looked at the distressed teenager. "You have to understand, he probably never thought he would be single handedly raising two teenagers on a scout ship in the middle of no where."_

_"I'm trying here." Hansen sighed. "He just doesn't give me any space. Uncle Harry you must have somewhere you can stick me that's not in the same quarters as him."_

_"There's an old regeneration alcove in Cargo Bay 1." Henley put on a smile. "He thought he was done raising rebellious teenagers when we got stranded out here. Trust me, Kor, he kept most of us from doing stupid teenage things that would've gotten us killed. Commander Torres should've been dead years ago, she's not because of your Dad."_

_"Think about the regeneration alcove." Kim shot his wife a look. "You'd have to sleep standing up, but if he's that intolerable."_

_"I'll go back to quarters Sir." She had developed teenage sarcasm, fare more than her mother could have ever understood. "But keep the alcove idea open." Hansen quietly left their quarters._

_"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Kim looked at his wife then down at her expanded midsection._

_"God help us when she becomes a teenager." Henley smiled and placed his hand to feel the baby kick. "Is it too late to re-sequence so we have a boy?"_

_"Yes." Kim smiled. "But then again, hopefully we'll be prepared for puberty."_


	3. Chapter 3

_**March 2394**_

_"Okay you two." Chakotay cleared the plates from the newly assembled dining table. "We need to talk about some things. I should tell you some stuff before you tow leave me for school tomorrow."_

_"What exactly do you need to tell us Dad?" The son took the lead in the conversation. "Are we going to be under death threats or something?"_

_"Your mother was more than a stranded civilian we picked up along the way." Chakotay sighed. His children had been sheltered from their parent's past for too long. "There was no question all she ever wanted was a normal life, and that's what she got when you were born Ben."_

_"Aunt Riah slipped last year and referred to her as Seven." The daughter looked at her father. "I attempted to pull her personal file and had no luck. Is that the reason why her file was blocked and locked from us?"_

_"Why didn't you say anything to me then Kori?" The hormonal teenager shouted at his sister then turned to their father. "And why did you wait so long to tell us?"_

_"I knew this how you'd be reacting." She leaned back into the couch. "Besides it's not like we can go back and change it. She was who she was, and frankly to me it doesn't matter. Would I have liked to known her? Of course, but we still have Dad. Or is there something about you that we need to know also?"_

_"I was not always the First Officer on Voyager." Chakotay paused. "I left Starfleet for a few years when I disagreed with some of the Federation's actions. Captain Janeway was sent out originally to capture and arrest my crew for committing acts of treason and terrorism."  
_

_"That warrant is still valid I take it." He stood up and stared down his father as he turned to leave the room. "Anything else before I go puke in disgust." Chakotay knew stopping his son was pointless, he was more stubborn than his mother and would need time to digest it all._

_"What's going to happen now?" She looked absently at her father and tried to hold back her tears. "Where am I going to stay if they send you to prison?"_

_"First of all if they sentence me, I will go." Chakotay calmed his hysterical daughter. "Secondly, if they sentence me it won't be tomorrow. Thirdly, Uncle Harry is by all means not going to prison. And the last year he's been a lot more bearable than I have."_

_"I'm scared Daddy." She tried to hide her sobs. "I don't know anything but that ship, the other kids are going to know who I am immediately aren't they?"_

_"You and Ben will do fine in school Kori." He wished his daughter was thankful she didn't have her brother's anger. "They assured me you would be treated just like any other students, all you'll have to do is having class with more than your four best friends."_

_"I can try." She put on a weak smile. "It's just going to be tough. I miss Voyager all ready."_

_"I know you do. Why don't you go and try to calm down Ben?" Chakotay directed his daughter to her bedroom as he collapsed into the couch of their new apartment. He was worried about what the outcome of the trial would be, deep in his heart he always knew his principals might do him in. At the moment the priority was getting two angry, scared, and petrified children settled into life on a planet. The legendary officer had to wonder how the adjustment would be different if they had been raised by their mother. _

_**October 2399**_

_She collapsed onto her bunk with the reading in hand. The young cadet rolled her eyes as she started reading the assignment. She declared to her roommate. "This assignment is ridiculous."_

_Her Bolian roommate looked at her. They were taking the same class on dealing with the unexpected. "You got the Borg question didn't you?"_

_"Even worse, I got the Unimatrix One issue." Kori sighed. "Means I actually have to go back and view my own mother as a science experiment. Do you have any clue how sheltered Ben and I always were from that aspect? We didn't know until Voyager made it back to the Alpha Quadrant that she was anything different than a regular crew member."_

_"It's more about actually acknowledging her history isn't it?" She cursed herself for living with a psych major. "They never referred to her as Seven of Nine I take it."_

_"Her death changed a lot." Kori stared at the picture she kept of Annika Hansen on her desk. "I'm not about to start going into a holodeck recreation of the event. It would be nice to see what happened, but I've heard stories and read the logs. Sometimes that's enough."_

_"Think about it." Her roommate stared at her. "You've always said you would've like to get to know her, this might be a shot. I mean it will be awkward."_

_"I'm going to go talk to Captain Shelby, see if I can convince her differently." Hansen got her self up and walked out of the room, it was worth a shot. _

_Her professor motioned for her to come in as she stood leaning against the wall outside the office. "Question about the assignment Cadet?"_

_"I would like to request a change in my topic Sir." Hansen hoped her request would be granted. "I know you said you don't budge, but I have what I believe qualify as extenuating circumstances."_

_"What exactly are the extenuating circumstances Ms. Hansen? If you want to be an officer you have to follow orders that will make you uncomfortable." Shelby looked at her student. Most of the Federation was still petrified of the Borg, she was not budging for one nervous cadet. "This better be a good reason and you better have a good alternative proposal."_

_"Fine." Hansen paused then started her reasoning. "I'm one of the Voyager children. I can go into more detail if necessary, if you do the math I was born several years after the last of the Borg encounters. It was always a tense subject that they never discussed with any of us. When I would ask questions as to why Icheb had the weird thing on his face I would quickly be hushed."_

_"That doesn't cut it in my book Cadet." The Professor paused. "I was the XO on the Enterpise during Wolf 359, I've studied the Borg for years."_

_"I know the reason why they worked to keep Seven of Nine alive for months even though they knew upon beaming her back that her chances for survival were slim to none." Hansen knew what she had to do to get herself out of the assignment. "Seven of Nine was 20 weeks pregnant during that away mission, the baby was still healthy despite her mother's injuries. If you do the math, you can easily make the connection Professor."_

_"I'll allow it." Shelby took in the shock that the star student in her first year protocol class was the child most academics had been trying with all their might just to meet for the last five years. "You never actually knew who she was did you?"_

_"Just that my mother was a civilian who had was lived in the Delta Quadrant since she was a young child, upon meeting Voyager she joined the crew." Hansen paused. "To us she was Annika, the woman who lived for her son and could not wait for her daughter to be born. As a favor she went on an away mission that was supposed to last only a few hours, there was a riot and she was stunned. They were able to deliver the baby, which was all she wanted. Annika died within hours of my birth. We only found how that she was the infamous Seven of Nine after the ship made it back to the Alpha Quadrant. My brother and I grew up the doted upon children of a respected First Officer, who did what he had to do in order to make our childhood as normal as possible. I'm not afraid of the Borg. I just couldn't write objectively about it."_

_**September 2401**_

_"Your sister shouldn't destroy you that much." Jon Paris made his hoverball move. His best friend was totally not paying attention to the game. "Paris to Hansen, are you there Benedick?"_

_"How do you survive time with Miral?" The Graduate student tried to regain his lead. "We're together in that apartment two weeks a year she can't even be somewhat rational during those two weeks!"_

_"Give her the benefit of the doubt." The medical student went for the return. "Little sisters are designed to be pains. The fact that you two are so close in age doesn't help the situation."_

_"Nor does the fact that she's Dad's little princess." Hansen sighed. "She can never do any wrong in his eyes."_

_"You seem to forget what she was like when we were little." Paris smiled as he scored match point. "They were always concerned about Kori being not like other kids. I know he hid it from you, but your Dad was petrified about how Kori would turn out. He was afraid she would spend her life indifferent."_

_"I guess I blocked all that out." Hansen sighed. "Then again she chose to be a Starfleet Officer, you know the best move I made was to go running from it."_


	4. Chapter 4

**August 2403**

"How's he doing Doc?" The young lieutenant smoothed down her uniform as she walked the medical ward. Her older brother was out finishing his thesis on a distant planet; it would be up to her. "It's bad isn't it?"

"I didn't randomly pull you off assignment Lieutenant Hansen." The doctor looked at her. "He's not doing well. He's been asking for you."

"Of course he's been asking for me." She shook her head and blinked back the tears; it was her father they were talking about not some random patient. "Is it possible to page Dr. Henley, I'd be more comfortable if she reviewed his file?"

"We can do that, she's in the hospital today so she'll be here in a few minutes." The nurse managing his case placed a caring hand on her shoulder. "Hopefully you'll cheer him up."

"I hope so too." She quietly entered his room. Hansen fluffed up her father's pillows. "You're giving everybody a scare Dad."

"I know." He put on a small smile. "Do you have any clue how much they overreact here?"

"They're not overreacting." She took the authoritative tone. "I got a briefing on the way in--you're not exactly 100 percent healthy."

"I'll be fine." The former officer gave his daughter a stare. "I'm not exactly a young man here anymore--health setbacks are expected with how I've lived the last sixty years."

"Get some rest Dad. They're getting Aunt Riah for me. Should I be bugging Ben to come home?" She sighed. "I'm not going to make that call, but if you want him here, I can lay on the guilt."

"See how much more field time he needs." Chakotay paused to think. "It all depends on how far along he is with his research. I don't want to drive him away from his life; it's just not necessary Kor."

"Dad, I got pulled off ship I don't think you're in here for trivial reasons." Hansen ran a hand through her short layered hair. "I'm going to find out what is going on try not to cause too much chaos."

"Okay." He smiled at his daughter. "I haven't caused chaos in over thirty years Kori."

"And Ben and I were always perfectly well behaved children." She let a smile escape from her worried face as she left the room. Henley looked up as her visibly shaken goddaughter came out to the desk. "He's terminal isn't he?"

Henley reached to keep her goddaughter from collapsing. "I have Uncle Harry tracking down Ben. He's not going to recover but he still has a few months."

**January 2404**

Henley stood protectively next to her goddaughter. It was what she needed for the memorial service. "It's going to be ok Kori." She soothed the young officer who was near tears. "You're going to go in there, hold your head high and be the dignified daughter."

"It's still a shock that he's gone." The Lieutenant sighed. "I just expected him to recover fully this time."

"We all did." Henley was doing the best to comfort the usually pulled together officer "I'll be honest with you, a huge part of him died with Seven. He's not been the man he was for a long time."

"So I've heard, what was he like before she died?" The anthropologist snuck in next to his kid sister. They always wondered what it would have been like to know her mother. "The respect he commanded even when we returned was not the respect a wanted man should have commanded."

"He stuck by his principals no matter what." Henley smiled at the thought of her mentor. "Even Uncle Harry as green and by the book as he was always had a respect for him. You and I both know he was the backbone of the crew. Most of the crew is here, do you two want me standing there with you?"

"Please." The officer was not her usual confident self; she had allowed her vulnerable side to escape. "It's going to be tough facing some of them."

"I know." She led her towards the auditorium. Henley whispered to her god-daughter. "Uncle Harry wishes he could be here."

"We'll see him in a few weeks. I didn't expect him to travel days for a two hour service. It just wouldn't be practical." The three stood at the edge of the auditorium. She gripped her godmother's arm and whispered. "Aunt Riah, thank you."

"He was my family too Kor." The Captain's wife nodded as Janeway approached. "Admiral."

"Mariah." Janeway acknowledged her. "I'm sorry for your loss Ben, Kori Ann. He was a great officer and a great friend."

"Thank you Admiral." The son put on a sincere smile. "It was only because he served with a wonderful crew." They watched as Janeway quickly rushed inside the auditorium.

"Well at lest she expressed some sympathy." He muttered.

"She could've not shown." His sister nodded. "At least she had that respect."

**February 2404**

"Admiral." Miral Paris slipped into the booth across from Janeway at the officer's club. "Sorry I'm late. You know how they can be."

"I know." Janeway smiled at Paris. "So what do you think of my proposal?"

"Give me a few weeks I'll convince him." The Ensign smiled, the briefing on the assignment had made it sound exciting. "Are you sure you still want it?"

"I'm sure." The Admiral was excited about the prospect. "You understand why I want it right?"

"Do you have an idea to around when you want to go back?" Paris sipped her tea. "I mean would I have the luxury of growing up without Jon being around to make me look like a consistent under achiever?"

"If I'm successful it would just be you, Naomi, and Baby Borg, the time when the doctor still had Zuxia in sickbay. It would mean no Hansens, no Paris boys, it could change a lot." Janeway paused thoughtfully. "I wanted to give you heads up, in the small chance we are not successful, and both of our careers will be gone."

"It'll be worth the risk." Paris made her decision. "I mean I'm not going to say anything to Mom and Dad, but it's worth the risk. When do I ship out?"

**March 2404**

Standing there with her arms crossed, waiting. She was simply waiting, the diligent Captain's wife with her ten year-old daughter in tow waiting for her husband to return home. Mariah Henley wanted terrorist and murderer--respected Physician and doting mother patiently waiting at Starfleet Headquarters for her husband--the perfect Starfleet officer to return home. It was funny the way things could change. She smiled as he beamed down in front of them. "You always have to cut it close don't you?"

"I made it back with plenty of time." The Captain picked up his wife and spun her around. He kissed her in the appropriate matter, before embracing their daughter in a hug. "I've missed you both."

"I'm sure you did." The doctor smiled coyly. "We have time to catch dinner before the reunion. Please tell me I'll have you home for at least a couple of weeks. The last 18 months have been impossible."

"You will." He looked at his wife. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Not in a long time." The reformed rebel led her husband off the parade grounds as their daughter trailed behind them. She lowered her voice as to not worry her daughter. "Zu's going to make sure she has a consistent eye without her knowing, but I need you to run interference tonight."

"She's still not doing well, I take it." He whispered back, having gotten his wife's reports he knew about their goddaughter and her grief. "Who are we protecting her from this time?'

"Janeway." She had taken most of the late night visits and phone calls from the stressed young officer. "You would not believe how she was cold to Ben at the Memorial, and it was warm hearted compared to the looks she gave Kori. I don't want her hurt tonight." The mother in her fought to keep composed. "It's the maternal instinct kicking in."

"It's your heart kicking in." He reached for his wife's hand. "You know your passion is why I fell in love with you. Of course I'll run the buffer. So Hannah how are the drums coming along? You driving Mom nuts with the noise yet?"

"Totally." The young girl caught up with her parents. "But I'm performing my first Bach next week."

"Massive accents and all." Her mother smiled and rolled her eyes. "I think your project is going to be installing a sound proof room. It's impossible for me to get any work done when the whole house vibrates."


	5. Chapter 5

**October 2405**

"She's turned ludicrous Icheb." Hansen sat across from his mentor. "I really think she's gone insane, and yes she's the golden lieutenant, but the big brother in me wants her protected and to kill her at the same time."

"You know we thought that with your Mom at one point." The Brunali professor sipped his coffee. "What is she attempting to do this time that's setting you into irate mode?"

"She has this sick motivating force." The young professor sighed. "She's determined that she'll be the one to bring Janeway in."

"I really think that Seven's personality transferred into your sister half the time. I mean despite the dark hair and sarcasm she is your mother's daughter." Icheb sighed. "None of us really know what the Admiral's intentions were. Kori's clearance is pretty high isn't it?"

"She's Admiral Shelby's adjucate." Hansen paused. "The Admiral is her idol. Kori is the being she tried for years to study. For that reason alone I know she tells Kori everything. The two of them know things that they probably shouldn't."

"Give her the benefit of the doubt." Icheb smiled at his protégé. "Plus Janeway had issues with Kori from day one. It all has to do with her looking just like your mother. She never actually came to terms with your parent's marriage."

"Why do you think that is?" Hansen paused. "Then again maybe I shouldn't ask. It wasn't liked we always knew who she actually was."

"Like I said to Zuxia years ago, the information was classified for you." He sighed. "I thought it was wrong, but you know how the Captain was. I can see why Kori is acting the way she is. Frankly, if it was me I'd be acting the same way. There's an inherent hostitlity in her towards Janeway."

**January 2406**

Lieutenant Kori Hansen had cut a deal with her commanding officer, all she wanted was 4 Terran days—96 hours. If they did not bring their prey home by then, she would pull totally off the task force. Her 4 day deadline was self imposed for a reason, she was due back in Los Angeles in 8 days. Hansen's priorities were straight, law school came before the glory—she needed stability not glory.

"You were right Lieutenant." The ensign looked at awe as the disgraced Admiral approach the coffee shop.

"Trust me. I know her habits." Hansen crept cautiously towards the coffee shop and their target. "Miss Janeway. We need you to come with us."

"How did you finally manage to track me down?" Janeway barely acknowledged her. "I've been doing everything possible for the last year and a half."

The Ensign looked at his team command. "Should I cuff her Lieutenant, or would you rather do it yourself?"

"Go ahead." Hansen raised an eyebrow at the Admiral. "You just don't get it Kathryn, you never have. We were living with the way things happened. Most of us were happily adjusted."

"Kori? Why?" Janeway looked at her former XO's daughter. "I was doing it for my crew. You would have been able to know your mother."

"I find that tough to believe Ma'am. Who knows when you would have gone back to?" Hansen kept her cool. "Who knows how you could have changed history? The temporal prime directive exists for a reason."

"You don't understand Kori, you just don't understand it." Janeway allowed the Ensign to place her in handcuffs. "I couldn't keep on living this life."

"Just because you had regrets doesn't give you the right to go back and change history Ma'am." The nervous ensign looked at the legend in shock as the young lieutenant chewed into her. "I mean what you were thinking? That you could get my father not to fall in love with her, you never were nor you could be half the woman my mother was. I saw how you looked at him when I was a kid. I was the obstacle, Ben was the easy going kid who did what anybody asked. I was not."

**August 2406**

"Why?" Hansen slid into the seat outside the cell, her clearance had allowed her a chance to confront one of her best friends. "Why'd you allow her to suck you in?"

"I had a fantasy of what it would be like to grow up like a normal kid." Miral Paris sat up on her bunk. "Didn't you always wonder what it would be like to grow up with your mother alive?"

"Of course." Hansen replied with almost no emotion. "But I know the prime directive exists for a reason. Your parents are devastated by this whole thing."

"They have Amy still. She can be molded into their perfect child." Paris sighed. "You did what you had to do Kori. I did what I had to do. Of course in the long run you made out much better."

"I did not ask for the promotion." Hansen unconsciously touched her third pip. "It's the last thing I wanted going into my final year of law school."

"Sure, you hate being addressed as Commander 4 years out of the academy." Paris put on a sarcastic tone. "You make everyone around you seem like fully lazy underachievers."

"If that's how you feel, I understand." The Lieutenant Commander paused. "Just remember that she's not a god. You shouldn't throw away your life for her Mir. Cover your own ass while you're at it."

"You're such a lawyer." Paris rolled her eyes she was getting tired of life in the brig. IT wasn't what she deserved she had been simply following the request of her idol. "How's Amy holding up?"

"It's been tough. To her you're still the big sister she idolizes." Hansen sighed. "You remember what it was like to be 12 and thrown for a loop, that's what she's going through."

"She'll be okay though?" Paris was worried about her baby sister. "With Mom being sick I'm worried about her."

"They'll be fine, Chris has moved back home. Zu has taken Amy under her wing she needs the distraction." Hansen knew her close friend had yet to even begin to comprehend the situation. "Jenny's still in bad shape. Aunt Riah doesn't think she'll make it more than a few weeks."

**March 2407**

Hansen slipped into the court room quietly as to not to disturb the proceedings. The Lieutenant Commander crossed one leg over the other and nodded her head as she began to listen with interest. She found Zuxia at the next recess. "What did I miss?"

"They're debating Miral's future right now." The Denoublan sighed. "I would bet money that the good Admiral is going to New Zealand. You know you're all the press is talking about. The chick that turned in the mother hen."

"I did what I had to do. You would have done the same if you were on that team. Unfortunately the fact that the woman hated me since I was an infant just drove me more." Hansen smirked. "I stopped her from changing history. Who knows how many lives I saved? Yours and mine amongst them."

"Hey kiddo." Dalby approached his daughter and Hansen. "Got stuck at the library?"

"I escaped as soon as I could, but it's the price I'm paying for wanting to pass the bar." She smiled. "What's the consensus on Miral? Your daughter the yenta only gave me grief about my impending crucifixition."

"She'll probably get a discharge." Dalby sighed. "She could have said no but she was following the orders of a much Senior officer, whom she still worshiped."

"You don't know Dad." Zuxia interjected. "Look at what happened when we got back in the first place. You and Mariah should have had lengthy prison sentences and you didn't."

"There was vindication long before we made it back. Plus my choices were made on principal, not some random act." Dalby paused. "We'll all just have to wait and see what the final verdict is."


	6. Chapter 6

**October 2409**

"When you're done being angry and bitter, you're more than welcome to join me for dinner." Chris Paris leaned on the doorway of his older sister's room. "Amy has the monopoly of the hormonal mood swings in this house, you are not entitled to infringe on the princesses' right to be a mopey teenager."

"I'm still the oldest child in this family. Watch me." The former officer shot back at her younger brother. "What the fuck am I going to do with the rest of my life Chris?"

"Get into real clothes and start searching for some meaning." He stared down his sister. "You have talent that extends beyond being blindly loyal to a deranged love sick woman."

"Fine I'll get dressed if that will shut you up." She attempted a smile. "I can take over handling Dad; it doesn't seem to be that difficult of a job."

"Do you think it's my choice to be living here?" The young man shot his sister a look. "The man is more than driven when it comes to his writing. He needs an editor that can deal with him 24-7 and trust me that is not an easy task. I know you're still angry at everything, but it's just not healthy."

"How can I not be?" She sighed. "You didn't spend two years in jail. You didn't see your mentor defeated as she began her sentence."

"I stopped believing in the mythic figure of Kathryn Janeway the day Dad published his first novel. You are aware that you aren't fully Klingon Miral? Are you?" He reached up to rub his hand on the faint ridges of his forehead. "You don't need to live for the honor bullshit. Let you human side persevere for once."

"I'll try. It's just not been easy." She sighed. "You know Amy's too much like Jon. I mean she'll probably have the ridge surgery too, won't she?"

"The day after she turns sixteen, it's already scheduled." He smiled. "Give her a few more weeks and she'll be living at Jon's. I think if they let her, she would actually undergo a genetic resequencing."

**June 2411**

"I'm moving in to your place when you're out in the field Jon." Amy Paris looked at her brother. "The two of them are driving me insane."

"You're starting the academy in six weeks; you don't need a home base." The older brother shook his head and smiled. "Who's worse?"

"Miral. Miral and Miral." She sighed as she punched her fist into the counter. "It's like she's going to be bitter and angry the rest of her life. Chris just fluctuates with Dad."

"You know what he can be like. Mom being sick is probably only making the situation worse." He sighed. "Just don't fully expect to make this your permanent base; I spent too much getting the work done on it to give it to you."

"You're about to leave on a six year research project, if I move in here, you won't have to worry about your pristine retreat falling apart." She looked out her brother's picture window. "It's not like you don't have enough space for another person around here. Plus would you want your precious baby to fall apart with a renter."

"I made the renovations for a reason." He rolled his eyes. "I'll end up settled down with a family one day. Having a house to raise one in just will make the transition easier."

"Don't tell me you're still pining for Kori." She knew her older brother too well. "It would never work. For starters your both way beyond career centric. Secondly, sure you've had a thing for her since you were twelve, but it's not like there haven't been options. Jon, most women pine for you. Trust me screw your academic reputation, any human female would marry solely based on your looks."

"You just don't get it Amy." The doctor smiled. "There's just something about her that draws people in. She just has that aura about her."

"Uh-huh. You are aware she's also the one who sent our darling moody irrational sister to prison. Yes it's Miral, and she probably would've killed someone and gotten there on her own eventually. But still, Kori really did betray the family with her doing it." She smiled. "Plus, do you not think Ben would kill you if he found out you were in love with his little sister? He's more overprotective of her then Chris is of me."

"They grew up differently." He poured his sister a drink. "Commander Chakotay wasn't Dad and Mom. He basically had raised Mom and Dr. Henley. He was widowed with a premature newborn and a difficult toddler. You know Mom went missing on her first away mission after I was born."

"She was different before she got sick wasn't she?" The ambassador's illness had reflected toughest on her youngest child. "I mean I don't remember her ever really being fully healthy."

"She was a firecracker, I wish you could've known the old her." Hr sighed. "I mean don't ask how many times she almost lost a battle with the warp corp. She's not the same person she was when I was little. But then again, people can change."

**November 2413**

"So, is there a reason you called me up here Sir." Zuxia smiled at Hansen as she slid into the booth at the Utopia officer's club. "Who is he?"

"Quit being such a yenta, I get it enough from Aunt Riah, I don't need it from you either." Hansen removed her jacket; she waited to see the Doctor go quiet. "Officially next week, but it is the reason I hauled your ass up here."

"How soon do we have it?" Zuxia knew exactly what her reasoning was. "I'm assuming you're bringing me with you."

"That's my goal; it's not going to be a ship with family privileges." Hansen slipped her tea. "I figured I needed to give you a heads up on that."

"I've allowed Mettus to convince me that he needs a tradition Denobulan marriage, I have no problem with that." The doctor smiled. "It's one of those odd concessions I didn't expect to make."

"Neither was marrying a Denonbulan." The Captain shot back. "Bit if you're happy with how it's working, I'm not going to comment on it."

"I'll turn you into a mensch eventually Kor. I can make it my mission." Zuxia laughed. "So what's the complement looking like?"

"It's an Apollo class. 350 give or take." Hansen let the smile spread across her face. "We're looking for an April launch date."

"So we'll be on Terra for the 20th then. You are going to go to this one?" She looked over her coffee mug. "Or are you going to run away again?"

"I haven't decided yet. I told Aunt Riah I would let her know with plenty of time to spare." The Captain looked concerned. "Even with what's been released, there's still a lot of resentment towards me."

"It's pretty bad isn't it?" The Doctor had heard talk, but part of her never wanted to know. "Dad figured that most of it didn't actually come out during her trial."

"Ninety percent was missing from the trial." The perfect officer nodded. "It's tough to be in a room of her crew when I know far more than it even seems imaginable. It stretched way back before her little stunt. Hell it stretched way back into their tenure in the Delta."

"You were really serious when you said stopping her saved both our lives, weren't you?" Zuxia raised an eyebrow at her commanding officer. "I know you wouldn't joke about that Kori."

"I'll leave it at that. Me stopping her saved countless lives including ours." Hansen put on a smile. "We are here to celebrate that I made it up in under a decade. I'm just going to need you around to keep me grounded."

"And to talk you out of doing anything stupid whenever we come within several light years of Tau Theta." The Doctor smiled. "You know his sister would be very happy sending you straight into a Borg cube."

"She would probably send you along to keep me company on my journey." The two burst out laughing. "It couldn't be that hard for the Borg to reassimilate you. But then again, it's you we're talking about; you'd probably overload your assimilators."


End file.
